As the length of the days, and power of the sun increases, the plants will begin to grow, and from that time it will be absolutely necessary to keep them in a regular growing state; for if young plants receive a check afterwards, it generally causes many of them to go into fruit. From the time they begin to grow they will demand a little water: once in a week or ten days, as the weather may prove more or less favourable, will be sufficient till the middle of March, which is the most eligible season to shift them in their pots. If that work is done sooner, it will prevent the plants from striking freely; and if deferred longer, it will check them in their summer’s growth.
In this shifting I always shake off the whole of the ball of earth, and cut off all the roots that are of a black colour, carefully preserving such only as are white and strong. I then put such plants as are intended to fruit the next season into second-sized pots with fresh mould entire.
The bed at this time should be renewed with a little fresh tan, in order to promote its heating, and the pots plunged therein immediately. The hot-house should be kept pretty warm till the heat of the tan begins to arise, as it will be the means of causing the plants to strike both sooner and stronger. As soon as the heat of the bed begins to arise, it will be proper to give the plants a sprinkling of water over their leaves; and as soon as they are perceived to grow, they will require a little water once a week for a short time, and afterwards twice a week till the next time of shifting them in their pots.
During the summer months give the plants plenty of air whenever the weather is warm, and water properly, as has been described: let the pots be kept in a regular constant heat, and clean from weeds; but above all, avoid an over-heat of the tan. Some persons plunge a thermometer in the tan, with the ball of its tube as deep as the bottom of the Pine-pots; and by repeated observations, a point is fixed for the spirits in the part of the tube above the surface of the tan, to show when the pots should be raised. Whether the above, or the putting watch-sticks in the tan (which is the most common method) is practised, too much attention cannot be had whenever there is the appearance of too violent a heat in the tan.
If the above directions are strictly attended to, the plants will be grown to a large size by the beginning of August; when they should be shifted into the largest-sized fruiting-pots, with their roots and balls entire.
But it will be proper here to observe, that in some hot-houses it is found difficult to get plants of the Antigua and Sugar-loaf kinds to fruit at a proper age; and, in that case, I advise the shaving off the roots on the outside, and reducing the balls of them at this shifting. A greater proportion of sand should also be added to the compost, which will be the means of bringing them into a fruiting state at a proper season.
The disproportion of the second-sized and fruiting-pots is so great, as to admit of a good quantity of fresh mould at this shifting, which is absolutely necessary to support the plants till their fruit becomes ripe: it also affords an opportunity of performing the operation of shifting the plants without injuring their roots. As there will be a large space between the ball and the side of the pot, the mould may be put round the ball with great ease; whereas, when plants are shifted into pots only a small size larger than those from whence they were taken, they are generally much injured by the operation of shifting: besides, even with the greatest care, there will frequently be spaces left hollow between the ball and the side of the pot.
A little fresh tan should be added, and the bed forked up, but not to the bottom of the pit, as the tan is liable to heat violently at this season of the year; of which when there is the least appearance, the pots should be raised immediately. The delay of doing it one day may be attended with very bad consequences.